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How the Trailer Came About…

In the few times we’ve been camping we have had a lot of people compliment us on our trailer. So many have stopped by our site to ask about all the features. It gets me giddy every time! We spent many years researching which RV we wanted to buy, a lot of thought and effort was put into our decision, so when more seasoned campers appreciate those very features, it feels like a big pat on our backs.

Today I’m going to take you on a pictorial tour of our trailer and explain a little about how we went about buying it. Hopefully, I’ll light a tiny little fire in the hearts of some of you out there and for others make a dream a little more realistic.

I grew up doing a lot of camping. When I was really little my parents would take us camping in a tent. Eventually my mother must have come to the same decision as myself and realized camping would be much more relaxing in a trailer. I’m not sure exactly how it came about but my parents bought a little travel trailer. I only vaguely remember it but those few, foggy memories are fond ones. It had bunks and and a little sink and a tiny little bathroom we never used. I’m not sure how many years we had it for but eventually my parents sold it. Eventually my parents bought a tent trailer (pop-up trailer). This time there wasn’t a bathroom at all, but the beds were big and comfy and there was a lot more space then the tiny trailer. It was a very cozy way to camp.

To be honest, I don’t even remember when Daddy and I started thinking about getting some sort of RV. I think it just gradually came to us around the same time we were thinking about homeschooling. The idea of taking the children on the road for some hands on learning really appealed to us. At first it was a just one of those “If only…” dreams. We would talk about it a lot, but it was always far off in the distance. It was around the time when we were in the process of trading in our Civic, for a minivan, and that in itself was a huge stretch on our budget. We would spend time daydreaming together about all the wonderful adventures we’d have in our RV one day. By that point we knew it would happen, it was just way off in the future. I never want to forgot those moments because the “One day, when we…” dreams are so sweet and yummy. I want to hold on to them forever and watch as they take fruition in our lives!

As it turned, way off in the future was a lot closer than we could have imagined. On a whim, we decided to stop by a Fifth Wheel dealership and look around. We still weren’t sure about all the different types of RV’s available but we did know about Fifth Wheels and they were definitely not something we were planning to get, or at least that was how we felt until we actually toured one. We were blown away by all the space and comforts! Wow, we fell in love instantly and decided a Fifth Wheel was exactly what we needed! We were also impressed with the price tag too. It was still way out of budget, but it did bring our dreams a little closer. As it turned out there was an RV show going on and the sales people gave us free tickets to go check it out. So we did. That was the beginning of our journey in making our dreams a reality. That day we also decided we definitely wanted a Motorhome and a C-Class, and a Travel Trailer, our decision kept changing with every new RV we walked through.

If you are interested in purchasing an RV, I highly recommend going to an RV show. If you are not interested in buying an RV, I still highly recommend going to an RV show! It’s an incredible experience. There are so many types of RV’s out there – seriously, there’s something for everyone! We go every year now and it’s the shows that helped us to decided on which RV we wanted to buy.

One of the main things we needed to consider was whether we wanted a motorized RV or a towable one, both have their own pros and cons. We eventually decided on a towable. The first thing we had to consider was the vehicle we planned on using to pull the trailer. That was one of our biggest obstacles. We had a minivan at the time with a towing capacity of 3,800 lbs which didn’t leave us with many options when we applied our wish list. After a lot of consideration we decided to buy a new vehicle that would pull the type of trailer we were looking for. We debated on getting a pick up truck so we could get a Fifth Wheel but the problem with that, is that we keep having more and more babies! We would be at full capacity already, so we decided on an Expedition which meant we were looking at a travel trailer.

One bit of valuable advice a sales guy gave us, was to take our maximum tow weight for our vehicle and then subtract at least 2,000lbs from it and that’s the dry weight limit of the trailer we should look at. So even though we bought a new vehicle, we were still limited by weight. Our trailer is called a Light Weight Trailer – they are making more and more of them. At that point it was just a matter of choosing the features we wanted in the trailer…this is where it gets fun! We knew we’d need a lot of sleeping space – to fit our many babies in – and one thing I absolutely did not want is to have to constantly pull out a couch or put down a table to make beds every night! I wanted permanent beds for each child to sleep in and I wanted them contained to their own space – children can be messy, especially while camping. If yours are not, good for you, but I think you might be lying!

Can you tell which is the before and which is the after picture?

The more we looked at different styles of trailers the more we knew what we wanted and, in turn, didn’t want. Some of the features we really liked were the little tub in the bathroom to bathe the baby, the big kitchen sink to fill a pot in and the swivel tv that can be watched from the living room or from our bed. Don’t judge me – sometimes it’s nice to have the option to watch a movie in bed, even while camping! We also wanted slides, they add so much extra room and take away from the cramped trailer feel.

Then there were the two features I absolutely fell in love with!!! First was the door in the bathroom leading to the outside. To me this meant not having to sacrifice dirt or sand throughout the trailer just so we didn’t have to walk the children back and forth to the restrooms 50 times a day! They could just go in and out of our bathroom as many times as needed and never set foot in the rest of the trailer! I would love to thank the genius who came up with that floor plan!!! Who ever it was, they were obviously a parent!

Which brings me to my all time favourite part of our trailer. It’s the thing we have gotten most comments on during our two camping trips so far and has attracted more campers to our trailer than a fat kid to a smartie. It’s the absolute must have for anyone who has kids and for anyone who doesn’t. It’s the outdoor kitchen!!! I knew I really wanted one but I had my doubts about how useful it was going to be. I secretly thought it might be redundant and that I was just wanting it because it was cool and the “in” thing for trailers right now. I honestly have to say it’s the best thing in the trailer. We do all our cooking outside and it’s just a matter of lifting up the flap to open it up and then when we leave the campsite, down goes the flap and the kitchen is closed! There’s a small fridge, a stove that pulls out, storage and even a little sink. It also has a tv that swivels from the kid’s bedroom to the outside kitchen! Don’t judge!!!

So there you have it, how we came about our trailer. So far it’s been wonderful and we’ve barely even started. I couldn’t be more pleased about our final decision. It may have taken a lot of research and a fair amount of patience but the outcome couldn’t have been more amazing!